


Hello, Stranger

by sasofy



Category: Infinite (Band)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-10
Updated: 2016-04-10
Packaged: 2018-06-01 05:10:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,936
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6501982
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sasofy/pseuds/sasofy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <strong>Prompt:</strong>
</p><p>a drunken myungsoo barged into what he thought was his bestfriend--sungyeol's apartment and cuddled with the said 'sungyeol' overnight, only to realize when he woke up the next morning this 'sungyeol' had a sharp nose, really nice plump lips, and now looking at him with amused eyes, "Morning, stranger."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hello, Stranger

**Author's Note:**

  * In response to a prompt by Anonymous in the [InfiniteRarepairFicathon2016](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/InfiniteRarepairFicathon2016) collection. 



Myungsoo and alcohol didn't go well together. Everyone knew that, Myungsoo most of all. He had zero tolerance, getting drunk on a few sips and then acting out in a way that his normally placid nature would never suggest.

"I thought a beast had possessed my best friend's body," Sungyeol told him the first time they'd gotten drunk together and Myungsoo had woken up with his memory completely wiped out, Sungyeol's account and the shocked looks and giggles he got as he walked through the university corridors, later, the only indications that something out of the ordinary had indeed happened. "You were wild, Myungsoo."

But no matter how amusing Sungyeol seemed to find it, Myungsoo didn't like the idea of being "wild", and so after the first few drinks and unfortunate hangovers, he decided to simply lay off alcohol altogether. He hated the thought of losing control over his body, of acting like a completely different person for hours and then forgetting all about it the next day. Clearly, drinking wasn't for him.

But that day he had gone out eating with a couple of juniors he wasn't very close to, and one of them had innocently passed him a glass of wine as they chatted. Myungsoo had simply accepted it, assuming it was juice or something. A few sips later he started suspecting that the taste might be too strong for juice, but it was too late. He was already drunk, through and through.

Myungsoo couldn't really remember what happened after that, but he remembered stumbling through the dorms, looking for Sungyeol's flat (which was a clear indication of how wasted he was, since he'd been over to Sungyeol's place so many times before he was normally able to find it even with his eyes closed). When he finally spotted what he thought was Sungyeol's door, he suddenly realised he didn't know the password, not anymore. Sungyeol had recently changed the old one, much to Myungsoo's chagrin, so as to prevent Myungsoo from barging in "unannounced _and_ uninvited", as he had put it. No amount of pleading had managed to get Sungyeol to spill the beans, and now Myungsoo was stranded. He couldn't very well go back home and face his parents in this state; Sungyeol's room on campus was his last resort.

"Sungyeol!" Myungsoo shouted, uncaring of the ungodly late hour, banging his fist against the door with all his strength. _"Sungyeoool!_ Open up!"

But Sungyeol didn't open the door, didn't even answer. Of course. He was probably sleeping the sleep of the dead, or maybe he wasn't even home at all, who knows. Myungsoo decided to try the doorknob, out of desperation more than anything else.

His jaw almost dropped to the floor in surprise when it swung open just like that.

It was just his luck: Sungyeol had forgotten to lock it. He was saved.

Myungsoo made his way through the dark flat, passing the familiar kitchenette and toilet door. He climbed clumsily onto the bed, crawling under the covers so that his body was pressed against another warm one.

Sungyeol grunted in his sleep. Myungsoo automatically wrapped his arm around him from behind, taking advantage of this chance to cuddle with his best friend when he wasn't conscious enough to push him away. But then Sungyeol's body stiffened, and he started to turn around. Myungsoo froze. He didn't think Sungyeol would kick him out when he was in such a dire situation, but there was no way he was letting him sleep in the same bed as him. He was going to have to sleep on the floor, he thought resignedly. But then Sungyeol simply sighed and turned around all the way so that he was facing Myungsoo, and reached out to hug him back.

Myungsoo couldn't believe his eyes. It had been so long since Sungyeol had let him sleep in the same bed with him, let alone cuddle. _"Yeol—"_ he whined happily, burying his face further into Sungyeol's chest. Sungyeol didn't say anything, but he still didn't push Myungsoo away, and that was enough for him. He slowly fell asleep, lulled by the warmth of Sungyeol's embrace.

 

 

That warmth was still enveloping him when he woke up the next morning, with a slight headache and nausea but still feeling somewhat refreshed. It must be being this close to Sungyeol after months of pushing away and avoiding, he thought as he inhaled Sungyeol's scent—it was different, somehow, not the comforting one he knew but somewhat sharper. Myungsoo thought it must be the hangover, muddling his senses.

He could vaguely feel Sungyeol's hand on his back, fingers moving lightly against it. Myungsoo sighed, almost purred, but then Sungyeol's fingers slipped under his shirt, and since when was Sungyeol this touchy, this affectionate? His hands (the fingers shorter and the skin of the palm rougher, somehow) brushed against a sensitive spot, and Myungsoo moaned. Sungyeol chuckled, voice deep and breathy, _too_ deep.

"You liked that?"

OK, that definitely wasn't Sungyeol's voice.

Myungsoo pushed Sungyeol away and looked up at him, eyes wide. A stranger was looking back at him, an insanely attractive stranger with pretty eyes, a sharp nose and impossibly full lips.

The guy smiled as Myungsoo gaped at him.

"Morning, stranger."

 

 

Myungsoo's first reaction had been to scramble back under the covers, pulling them up so that they covered his whole body up to half his face, although he was still as dressed as he'd been the night before and there wasn't much to cover, anyway. "W-who are you?" he croaked, staring at the handsome stranger.

"I should be the one asking that," the guy replied casually. "I'm pretty sure I went to sleep alone last night, but now here you are, all snug and comfy inside my bed."

Myungsoo's face had turned tomato red as the guy spoke. _Oh, shit._ He must have gotten the wrong flat last night. This clearly wasn't Sungyeol's place.

"I–I'm so sorry, I didn't—I thought—"

The man laughed. "That's OK, no need to get all worked up. You're obviously no thief or rapist, and I must admit I enjoyed our cuddling session just now." He winked at Myungsoo, and Myungsoo's face got even redder as he remembered what they'd just done—and last night, too. "What's your name, cutie?"

"M–m–myun—"

But Myungsoo's stomach chose that very moment to grumble loudly, announcing its emptiness to the whole world.

Myungsoo wanted to hide somewhere and never come out again, but the stranger just grinned.

"I guess it's time to fix us some breakfast. What would you like, Myun—wait, what did you say your name was?"

 

 

"I can't believe it," Sungyeol snorted in between fits of laughter. "So you broke into Woohyun's flat and into his bed thinking it was _me?_ How drunk were you, exactly?"

Myungsoo pouted as Sungyeol doubled up with laughter once again. He'd thought he would feel more comfortable once Sungyeol showed up—as it turned out, Woohyun and Sungyeol did know each other, and Sungyeol actually did live in the same dorms as Woohyun, only on a different floor, and once Myungsoo had clumsily explained the whole situation to him, Woohyun had called Sungyeol up and asked him to come over—but Sungyeol had been the opposite of helpful, laughing at Myungsoo and making fun of him ever since he'd walked in. Even Woohyun had been more tactful than him, and he was a complete stranger.

Only that he wasn't—not really. He was _that_ Woohyun, the one Myungsoo had heard so much about before: Sungjong's annoying hyung, the dongsaeng in the same major as Sunggyu, Dongwoo's best friend, the guy who played football with Hoya, and Sungyeol's neighbour, of course. With how many friends they had in common, it was actually rather strange that they had only met now.

"It's OK," Woohyun said, coming to the rescue with a pan full of scrambled eggs. "We enjoyed ourselves, didn't we Myungsoo?"

He winked at him, and Myungsoo melted into a pool of embarrassment and shame, his eyes falling lamely to the floor.

"Don't say that kind of stuff to him," Sungyeol warned Woohyun, his mouth already full of scrambled eggs. "He will think you really mean it." He turned towards Myungsoo. "Don't take him too seriously. He flirts with everything that moves."

"Is that what you think of me?" Woohyun gasped, fake-hurt. "I did mean it. Where have you been hiding this cute boyfriend or yours, Sungyeol?"

"He's not. He's just my best friend," Sungyeol replied. Myungsoo looked away. Sungyeol was right: they weren't dating, and it's not like Myungsoo wanted them to be or anything, but the way he'd put it—like being his best friend didn't mean much of anything—still hurt a little bit. "An overly clingy best friend, but still."

"Oh," Woohyun said. "I thought… " He glanced at Myungsoo, and Myungsoo felt jittery under his gaze. He knew what Woohyun was thinking—that it was strange for him to cuddle the way they'd done with someone who was "just" his best friend. He must think Myungsoo was shameless, or crushing on Sungyeol, or both.

"So does that mean I have a chance?"

Myungsoo blinked at Woohyun. "What?"

"You're single, right?" Woohyun continued, and grinned at him. "Why don't you go out with me? We obviously have great chemistry in bed—"

 _"Woohyun!"_ Sungyeol shouted at him, but Myungsoo was already blushing, hiding his face between his hands in embarrassment.

 

 

"Are you OK?" Sungyeol asked him as they left Woohyun's flat later."Woohyun can be a bit overwhelming at first, but he's a nice guy—deep down."

"I'm fine," Myungsoo said, and he really was. He did feel overwhelmed—how could he not when a handsome stranger he had ended up in bed and cuddled with had been throwing flirty words and winks at him the whole morning—but not in a bad way. Despite the casanova aura, Woohyun really did seem like a nice guy. He hadn't even gotten mad at Myungsoo for breaking into his flat, after all; on the contrary, he had made him breakfast, had handed him a cup of hot tea and a warm jumper when he realised that Myungsoo was cold; he had even entertained him with chatter until Sungyeol showed up, bearing patiently with Myungsoo's confused, hardly audible answers.

"He… he is nice," he told Sungyeol. "Really nice." And that was was on top of being very handsome, which confused Myungsoo very much because he'd never met someone who could make him feel this way, like he wanted to know more about them—except Sungyeol, but he was his best friend and he and Myungsoo had known each other since forever and that was different, anyway.

"I wouldn't say he's _really_ nice," Sungyeol said, "but yeah, he's OK, I guess." His expression lit up, and Myungsoo immediately knew what was coming—or rather, _who._ "Wait until Sunggyu hyung hears about this! He's going to be so surprised—"

Myungsoo had to suppress the urge to roll his eyes as Sungyeol blabbered on. It was always about Sunggyu, these days. Never about him.

 

 

 

 

 

*  *  *

 

 

 

"So you guys met," Sungjong said, giving Myungsoo a doleful look, like he was paying him his condolences or something.

"Yeah, and guess what," Sungyeol said with a grin. "Myungsoo here thinks Woohyun is nice— _really_ nice."

 _"Nice?"_ Sungjong made a face, his beautiful features all scrunched up with shock and disgust. "Are we talking about the same person? _That_ Woohyun? Nam Woohyun?"

"In person," Woohyun said, showing up right at that moment. Myungsoo almost jumped in surprise. He knew Woohyun was probably going to be here—they were attending a concert given by the university's music club, which both Sunggyu and Woohyun belonged to—but he hadn't expected him to appear suddenly like that. "Nice to know my feelings aren't unrequited, Myungie~" Woohyun added, forming a heart with his arms and throwing it at Myungsoo.

Myungsoo couldn't help it—he hid behind Sungjong, flustered. He could hear Woohyun laugh with that deep voice of his, but then he was interrupted by Sungjong. "Quit it already, Woohyun. Lay your dirty hands off Myungsoo hyung."

"Sungjongie, why are you being like this to your hyung?" Myungsoo could almost _hear_ the pout in Woohyun's voice. "I thought we were in love—"

"I _don't_ love you!" Sungjong yelled. "And don't you dare get closer to me! Yah, go away, I said—"

Myungsoo peeked over Sungjong's shoulder, and froze when he realised that Woohyun was coming their way, arms stretched open as if he was going to hug Sungjong—and Myungsoo with him, too. Myungsoo suddenly remembered their embarrassing cuddling session the other day, and he panicked. But then he heard a pained yelp, and he looked up to see that Sungjong had kicked Woohyun.

The elder was holding his leg. "Jongie! How could you—"

"That's what you get for being an idiot and not listening," Sungjong said coldly. "Now, get lost. Shoo!"

Woohyun pouted, his lower lip jutting out in a way that Myungsoo couldn't help but find endearing. "I will be back," he said before limping away, even though Myungsoo was pretty sure Sungjong's kick couldn't have hurt him that badly.

"Good riddance," Sungjong sighed.

Myungsoo looked at him. "You dislike him that much?"

"I don't dislike him. I _loathe_ him. He gets on my nerves, with all that flirting and stupid aegyo—"

Sungyeol laughed, but Myungsoo thought between himself that if Sungjong treated Woohyun like that, he probably didn't hate him all that much after all. He'd known Sungjong for years, and the younger was nothing but polite to people he wasn't close to, even if he did indeed loathe them.

"Hey!"

Sunggyu was suddenly walking towards them, smiling. "You came."

But he wasn't looking at them as he said it—or rather, not at all of them. His gaze was fixed on Sungyeol, like metal to a magnet.

But Sungyeol wasn't looking back at him, which Myungsoo found very strange since until a moment ago he'd been constantly glancing at the spot where Sunggyu was prepping up for his performance later, only vaguely listening to his and Sungjong's chatter. Now, though, he looked like he couldn't care less whether Sunggyu was there or not.

"You only noticed just now?" he said, tone strangely flat. "We've been here for ages."

Sunggyu looked confused. "I–I was busy with the preparations—"

"Did I ask you?" Sungyeol snapped, only looking at Sunggyu for a brief second before looking away again. "I don't care. Do what you like."

Sunggyu stared at him. "Sungyeol—" he made to reach out to touch him, but then he glanced at Myungsoo and froze. He quickly retracted his hand, stuffing it awkwardly in the pocket of his jeans.

Myungsoo felt like banging his head against the wall in frustration. Didn't they realise how obvious they were being?

"By the way, do you know what happened to Woohyun?" Sunggyu was saying. "I just saw him, and he was limping."

"He just got what he deserved," Sungjong said.

Sunggyu snorted. "Did you hit him or something? Don't be too harsh with Woohyun," he said as he reached out to ruffle Sungjong's hair. "He's still your hyung, you know."

Sungjong rolled his eyes.

"Alright, so… I'll get going now. I still need to do lots of stuff." But Sunggyu lingered, gaze wandering towards Sungyeol once again. When Sungyeol still didn't look at him, he sighed. "I'll see you guys later, I guess."

"Good luck with your performance, hyung," Myungsoo said, suddenly feeling sorry for him.

"Fighting!" Sungjong cheered.

Sunggyu grinned. "Thank you, guys. Listen well—you don't hear a voice like mine often."

Sungyeol snorted softly, but loud enough that Myungsoo was pretty sure Sunggyu had heard him. He still walked away without saying anything, although the set of his shoulders looked a bit dejected.

"What was that all about?" Sungjong said, looking between Sungyeol and Sunggyu's retreating figure.

"What do you mean?" Sungyeol asked.

"Well, why are you giving hyung a hard time?"

"I'm not," Sungyeol said, then quickly, "Waah, isn't that cotton candy? Myungsoo, let's go get some!"

Myungsoo followed him, acting all excited, like he didn't know he was just trying to change the subject. For Sungyeol's sake.

 

 

 

The concert was chaos, but it got even louder as Sunggyu's turn came and he stepped on stage. Myungsoo always knew that his hyung was popular, but he was still startled by the loud screams that welcomed Sunggyu's appearance.

"Why, hyung really has a following, doesn't he," Sungjong said. "He must be really good."

"Overrated," Sungyeol said, trying to sound casual—although there was nothing casual about the way he had to shout the word in order to be heard.

"I think he's good," Myungsoo shouted back.

"Me, too." Myungsoo stiffened as he heard Woohyun's voice. "He's really good." They had bumped into him again just before the concert was set to start, and he'd somehow ended up standing right next to Myungsoo. Myungsoo had been on edge ever since. No matter how many times they met, he still couldn't quite shake off the nervousness caused by Woohyun's proximity.

Myungsoo glanced at him now. Woohyun was shorter than him, he had discovered. For some reason, Myungsoo had always had the impression Woohyun was tall, maybe because he looked so confident, or maybe because Myungsoo was always looking down and hunching his shoulders when he was around him, but he was actually pretty short, most people in the crowd towering well over him.

(So cute, Myungsoo thought.)

Woohyun caught Myungsoo's eye, and smiled. "Sunggyu hyung is my role model, you know," he whispered into Myungsoo's ear. "I wish I could sing as well as him."

"O-oh," Myungsoo breathed.

"Not that I'm not good myself," Woohyun continued, "but I guess I'm just not as—"

But the rest of the sentence was drowned out as the music started and the screams got even louder. Myungsoo was grateful, because he didn't think he could put up with Woohyun whispering in his ear like that, hot breath caressing his skin, for much longer.

Sunggyu and his band got through a couple of upbeat songs, then it was time for a ballad. All the fans started screaming as the soft music began. Sunggyu turned around and looked straight at them.

Or better, at one of them in particular.

And then he started singing.

Sungyeol's gaze was stuck on Sunggyu throughout the whole performance, a blank expression on his face. But Myungsoo saw the sparkle in his eyes, the way Sungyeol's breath caught when Sunggyu sang the high note. Once the song was over, Sunggyu paused for a second, still looking in their direction, and then smiled.

Sungyeol smiled back. He kept smiling throughout the next song, and then the next.

"Wow," Sungjong said, "He _is_ good."

"Yeah," Sungyeol said, as if in a daze. "He is."

Myungsoo looked at Sungyeol's profile, the way he gazed at Sunggyu like he couldn't see anything else. It was a bittersweet feeling, as if even though Sungyeol was standing next to him, he was actually galaxies away, out of Myungsoo's reach.

 

 

 

"Where's Woohyun?" Myungsoo asked. He could swear Woohyun had been standing next to him just a moment ago, but now he couldn't see him anywhere.

Sungyeol didn't even answer, still completely engrossed in Sunggyu's performance. Sungjong just shrugged. "Who knows. The farther away from here, the better."

But Myungsoo couldn't shake off the feeling that there was something strange about Woohyun's sudden disappearance—something wrong. And so when he looked and looked and still couldn't find him, he decided to quietly sneak out and go search for him himself.

The corridors just outside the concert hall were dark and quiet. Myungsoo stopped at every door, peeking inside. Still no Woohyun.

"Hyung?" he called out. "Woohyun hyung?"

He had almost reached the men's bathroom, where he thought Woohyun was most likely to be, when he saw him.

He was sitting on the floor, legs stretched out and arms hanging limply by his side, like a rag doll. For a moment, Myungsoo wondered if that was really Woohyun, but then the guy looked up and Myungsoo had no more doubts.

"Hyung!"

Woohyun looked at him, a blank expression on his face, and Myungsoo realised why he'd found Woohyun unrecognisable at first. He'd never seen him like this—so unresponsive, so empty. The Woohyun he knew was always laughing and winking and flirting. It was weird, now that he thought about it: no one could be so happy, so energetic all the time.

But just as he was thinking it, Woohyun's expression changed, and he was suddenly grinning, flirty and familiar. Myungsoo thought he should have been relieved, but he found the sudden change unsettling, like he had only gotten a glimpse of the real Woohyun, and now he'd put on his mask again.

"Hey, Myungie~ What are you doing here?"

"Uh, I… " _Looking for you_ , Myungsoo thought, but he somehow felt it wouldn't do to say it out loud. "Just… Just taking a walk, I guess. Y-you?"

Woohyun shrugged. "Just taking a break from it all. I love music, but concerts are too much even for me sometimes. Too much noise, too many people—it's overwhelming, to be honest. Ah, my poor ears… it feels like someone shouted right into them—"

"Oh," Myungsoo said. So that was it? Woohyun's explanation made perfect sense, but he still felt like something was off about this.

And then a car drove by outside, the headlights flashing through the window and onto Woohyun's face. It was only for a split second, but Myungsoo still saw them.

"Ha-have you been crying?" he blurted out before he could stop himself.

"What?" Woohyun laughed. "No, of course not. What are you talking about?" But when Myungsoo reached out to touch his cheeks, as if to make sure that those wet trails were really there and hadn't just been a figment of his imagination, Woohyun stepped back quickly. "What are you doing?"

Myungsoo froze. He and Woohyun hardly knew each other; what did he think he was doing, touching him like that? "S–sorry, I—"

"No," Woohyun said, "I'm sorry." He rubbed his face. "It's just—you didn't catch me at a good moment, and—I—"

He sighed, head dropping low on his shoulders. And then he was crying.

 

 

 

"I just… I'm so fucking jealous," Woohyun said as he sniffled. He and Myungsoo were both sitting on the floor now, side by side, Myungsoo trying to comfort him by awkwardly rubbing his back and patting his shoulder. He could still hear the concert going on on the other side of the wall, but it felt incredibly distant, like something that had happened ages ago, or on another planet altogether. "You probably don't know that, but—I was in the music club longer than Sunggyu, long before he joined. I used to be one of the most popular members—you'll think I'm bragging, but they used to call me Namstar, you know—but then… " Woohyun's voice broke. "But then Sunggyu came, and suddenly, everything changed. No one seems to care about me anymore. Everyone is fascinated by Sunggyu—his voice, his charisma, his _everything._ He's gotten so popular, so much popular than I ever was—even our club president dotes on him. The public adores him, obviously, and I… I don't know, I just—I feel like there's no place for me anymore."

Tears fell down his cheeks again.

"You'll probably thinking I'm overreacting, that I'm worrying about nothing—there's worse things in life, I know, but it's just… Music means so much to me, so fucking much. I've been dreaming of becoming a singer since I was this small. It's like the reason why I was born in the first place. If that's taken from me, I have nothing left."

"I keep telling myself I shouldn't worry too much, that I should just focus on improving myself as a singer and that's it. That as long as I like the way I sing, then I should be happy, even if no one else does, but… I'm not that strong. I can't bear the thought that no one likes my voice—that no one cares—"

Myungsoo's heart broke to see Woohyun like this. He wished he could do something, say something to comfort him, but the only words he could come up with—"I'm sure it's not that bad", "You'll find something", "Don't cry, hyung,"—felt stupid and empty, and so he just settled for listening in silence, keeping up his shoulder-patting and back-rubbing, for all it was worth.

But Woohyun must have mistaken his silence for lack of interest, because when he talked and talked and Myungsoo still didn't say anything, he sighed. "Sorry, Myungsoo. I must be boring you to death—"

"No, no—you aren't," Myungsoo said quickly. "I… I'm happy to listen."

Woohyun gave him a wan smile. "You probably think I'm a terrible person, so jealous and petty instead of being happy for Sunggyu hyung—"

"I don't." The feeling of not being good enough, of being left out weren't foreign to Myungsoo. "I… I know how you feel. I also—"

He stopped himself just in time, but Woohyun was looking at him curiously.

"You what?"

"It's nothing, really," Myungsoo said, flustered.

"No, tell me. You listened to my whining, it's only fair I listen to you, too—"

"I… I'm not sure I want to talk about it, to be honest—"

"Oh." Woohyun's face fell for a second. "I see. That's fine, of course. You don't have to tell me if you don't—"

"No," Myungsoo said, "I will. I… Actually, I'm jealous of Sunggyu hyung, too."

Woohyun looked at him, surprised. "You sing, too?"

"... Not exactly."

Woohyun eyes were wide with wonder after Myungsoo had told him everything. "Sunggyu hyung and Sungyeol? _Really?"_

"Yeah," Myungsoo said. He remembered how shocked he'd been at first, too. Not that it had taken him long to find out. There were just so many signs, things that made Myungsoo wonder, like the time he'd walked into Sungyeol's flat (just before the elder had changed the password, coincidentally) to find Sunggyu asleep in his bed— _it got late so he slept over,_ Sungyeol had said, but that didn't explain why Sunggyu was only wearing his boxers and Sungyeol had a very obvious hickey on his neck that he kept claiming was a rash—or that time Sunggyu had called Sungyeol babe in front him and then they had both frozen, glancing guiltily at Myungsoo before resuming their conversation like nothing had happened. Myungsoo might not be the sharpest tool in the box, but he wasn't _that_ oblivious. "You can't tell anyone, though. It's supposed to be a secret."

"Ok, but why?"

"I'm not sure. Because of me, I guess."

"You?"

"I think they don't want me to know about them."

"But… you already do."

"Yeah, but they don't know I know—" Myungsoo winced. "Ah, it's just too complicated to explain. Sorry—"

"No, I think I get it, more or less," Woohyun said. "What I don't get, though, is why they want to keep it from you. Unless… "

Woohyun looked at him, and Myungsoo knew what he was thinking. He sighed. "I _don't_ like Sungyeol. Not that way. I know everyone thinks I do—Sungyeol himself probably thinks so, too—but I really don't."

"But then—why are jealous of Sunggyu?" Woohyun asked.

"I… I guess I feel like my best friend is being taken away from me," Myungsoo said. Sungyeol had dated before, sure, but never like this. Back then, it was clear that Myungsoo had the priority over whatever girl or, occasionally, boy he was going out with. Now, though, it wasn't like that anymore; if anything, it felt like Sunggyu had taken up the space in Sungyeol's life that had used to belong to Myungsoo, and then some. "It feels like now that he has Sunggyu, he doesn't need me anymore. Doesn't _want_ me anymore."

"I don't think so," Woohyun said. "You two are obviously very close."

"We used to be. He's been pushing me away a lot lately, and I don't know why. Sometimes I feel like he's scared of me… like he's disgusted by me, even."

"Maybe he's just worried. That if he's honest with you about his relationship with Sunggyu, you'll feel hurt, or left out—"

"Mmh."

"Maybe if you just talked to him, if you told him clearly that you don't mind him and Sunggyu being together—"

Myungsoo nodded. It's not like he hadn't thought about it before, but something had always stopped him from acting on those thoughts. Maybe because he felt distant from Sungyeol these days, the fact that Sungyeol was purposefully keeping such a big part of his life from him putting up a wall between them, something that had never happened in their many years as best friends. And maybe—maybe part of it was also that he did mind, after all, although not for the reasons Sungyeol thought he would. He guessed he should have been glad to see Sungyeol happy with someone, especially if that someone was Myungsoo's favourite hyung, but Myungsoo couldn't help feeling that he was being left behind, by both of them. "Maybe I should."

Woohyun reached out to ruffle Myungsoo's hair, smiling. "You really like him, don't you? Sungyeol."

Myungsoo blushed. "D-do you think it's weird? That… That I'm too attached to him, or something."

"No, why?" Woohyun looked perfectly honest as he said it. "I think it's great what you guys have, that you care about him so much. It's an enviable bond. I wish I had a best friend like that."

"R-really?"

"Yeah. People always act like love comes first and friends are just there, something to fall back on when you're single, but I don't think so. They're both as important, just in different ways. And friends can be even better than lovers, sometimes." He laughed at Myungsoo's shocked expression. "You're probably thinking this is weird coming from someone like me who flirts with everything that moves, to quote Sungyeol, but—"

"I don't," Myungsoo said. He was surprised, yes, but simply because he had never thought he would get to meet someone who shared his view on this. He'd thought he was the only one. "I know you're more than that—"

He clamped his mouth shut, a blush creeping over his cheeks as he realised what he had just said. Woohyun must think he was a weirdo, saying stuff like this when they hardly knew each other—

Buy Woohyun just smiled a him in that cute, warm way of his, the way his eyes disappeared into thin lines and dimples formed on each side of his mouth making Myungsoo weak in the knees (good thing he was already sitting down). "... Myugsoo—can I ask you something?"

"Uh? Sure."

"Have you ever dated before?"

Myungsoo started to blush again, and Woohyun held up his hands. "No, no, I–I didn't mean it that way! I wasn't flirting! It was a genuine question—"

Myungsoo glanced at him, still flustered. "W-why do you want to know?"

"I'm just curious, that's all. You're so cute and sweet and handsome, it'd be a pity if— _aaah_ wait wait, please don't blush—"

Myungsoo held his face in his hands, trying to hide his quickly heating up cheeks. "I… I haven't."

"Never?"

"Mh."

"How come? You've never met someone you liked? Or... maybe you're just not interested in dating at all?"

"I don't know," Myungsoo said. "I wouldn't say I'm not interested. Actually, it's more like—OK, this is going to sound weird, but—"

"What?"

"I… I don't really like love," Myungsoo said. "I rather dislike it, to be honest."

"Dislike it?"

"Y-yeah. Maybe it's because I don't have much experience, but love has always seemed flimsy to me. People fall in and out of love all the time, and for no reason at all. Frankly, it's weird. Friendship is a lot deeper. You build up your friendship with time, with shared experiences and affection, but love—it just happens, and that's it." And then everything is different, and your best friend isn't your best friend anymore but a stranger. He and Sungyeol were perfectly fine before love came into their lives, before people started speculating about them (even Myungsoo's mum had asked him if he liked Sungyeol, much to Myungsoo's annoyance– _You just spend so much time with him, dear, it makes me wonder)_ asking them to define their relationship as either "boyfriends" or "simply friends", making Sungyeol afraid of him. Why couldn't they just leave them be? "Take my parents, for example—they met each other and got married and had me, all in no more than one year. Crazy, right? And Sungyeol and Sunggyu hyung, too—they didn't use to be close at all, they could hardly stand each other, and now, suddenly, it's like they can't live without each other. It just… It doesn't make sense."

Woohyun was silent for a while, like he was actually thinking about what Myungsoo had just said. It made Myungsoo feel nervous, but in a pleasant way. "I understand what you mean," Woohyun said eventually, "And I don't think you're necessarily wrong. But I also think that you're not seeing the whole picture here."

Myungsoo looked at him. "What do you mean?"

"Well, the way I see it, love is indeed irrational, and weird, and it doesn't make sense, as you said. But isn't that the whole point of it? Love is an emotion, it can't be controlled, or explained. It just happens. Friendship is kind of like that, too."

"It isn't! Friendship is different, it—"

"Is it, though? If you think about it, friendship is also based on a feeling, a chemistry between two people that can't always been explained. Think about you and Sungyeol, for example."

"Uh?"

"As far as I can see, you guys are complete opposites in terms of personalities, and interests too, to a certain extent. Yet you are so close, have been so for years. Isn't that sort of weird, too?"

"It's not," Myungsoo said. "The reason we're friend—we did things together, we—"

But was it really? Even if he were to share those same experiences with someone else, he didn't think he would ever end up liking them as much as he liked Sungyeol. He didn't know why; he just felt it, like Woohyun had said.

"They're quite similar, right?" Woohyun said. "They're both forms of love, after all. That's why I don't think one is particularly better or more important than the other."

"Yeah," Myungsoo said. "I… I never thought about it that way before."

Woohyun smiled. "And isn't that what makes love and friendship special? The fact that you can't choose who you fall in love with, or who you become friends with, when it comes to that. Like with Sunggyu hyung and Sungyeol, as you said."

And like me and you, Myungsoo thought, although he didn't say it of course—both because it would be extremely embarrassing and inappropriate, and because it had finally hit him, the reason why he felt like this around Woohyun. It was because even though he and Woohyun were, technically, strangers, it didn't feel like that, not really. It felt like they had known each other for a very, very long time.

 

 

 

"Can I hear you sing?"

"W-what? Now?" But Woohyun looked pleased, like an excited puppy who'd been told he could go out for a walk soon—and stay out as long as he wanted.

"Yeah, if you don't mind," Myungsoo said. "There's no one around, anyway." They were walking through campus, Woohyun having insisted on walking him to the bus stop, at least—which made Myungsoo feel all warm and fuzzy inside, like Woohyun was a gentleman and he was being taken care of—and they'd hardly run into anyone until now. "Of course, you don't have to—"

"I want to," Woohyun said with a grin. "Is there anything in particular that you'd like me to sing?"

"Whatever you like is fine."

Woohyun thought it over seriously. "Mmh… What should I… Oh, I know—"

And then he was singing, and Myungsoo really didn't know how Woohyun could possibly be insecure about his voice.

It was a voice like Myungsoo had never heard before—deep and smooth, like a cup of hot chocolate, like the feeling Myungsoo got when it was raining outside and he was lying in bed, under the covers. It was like a warm blanket, enveloping Myungsoo and making him feel cosy and safe and comfortable. It was just like Woohyun.

 

 

 

 

*  *  *

 

 

Myungsoo started spending more and more time at the music club. It was a win-win situation, really: Myungsoo got to hang around Woohyun, and Sungyeol could spend time with Sunggyu without it looking like he was, pretending that he was just tagging along.

To Myungsoo's surprise, Woohyun didn't seem to find his quiet, awkward presence bothersome at all. On the contrary, he always seemed happy to see him.

"My favourite dongsaeng," he welcomed him every time with open arms—literally, because he never failed to hug Myungsoo whenever he saw him.

"Hands off, Nam," Sunggyu said. "He's _my_ favourite dongsaeng."

(Which made Sungyeol storm out of the room in a rage, Sunggyu looking like he had no idea what had hit him, so that Myungsoo had to find a way to tell him that maybe he should go and talk to Sungyeol without letting show that he knew what was going on, and these two were an headache of a couple, really.)

"But no, really," Sunggyu insisted later, "Who do you like more, Myungsoo? This grease ball, or me?"

Myungsoo looked down at his lap, feeling very much like he was caught between two fires. "I… I—"

"Of course it's Woohyun," Sungyeol said. "Who would like an old man like you?"

(You, Myungsoo thought.)

All in all, those were fun times. Myungsoo loved seeing Woohyun in his element—singing Woohyun, composing Woohyun, socialising Woohyun. He really shined, and Myungsoo thought he would never get tired of watching him.

It was also a plus that Woohyun was so touchy. Not only did he seem to not mind physical contact, he even initiated it, linking his arm with Myungsoo, leaning his head on his shoulder, even sitting on his lap. To Myungsoo, it was like a dream come true, to have someone he liked so much let him cuddle to his heart's content—especially now that Sungyeol kept him at arm's length (literally) and gave him his glare of death if they as much as brushed shoulders. Myungsoo needed all the cuddles he could get.

And Woohyun just looked so damn cuddly, anyway—those clothes he was always wearing making him look even smaller and more huggable, if possible: oversized pink jumpers, fluffy wool cardigans, shirts with sleeves so long they almost completely covered his hands. It was a blessing that Woohyun liked cuddles, because Myungsoo didn't think he would have been able to keep his hands off him, anyway.

 

 

 

"Do you… do you know if Woohyun hyung is seeing anyone at the moment?" Myungsoo asked Sungyeol one day. He couldn't help it: he was curious, especially after the conversation they'd had about love (and well, yeah, maybe he also had some sort of personal interest in the answer).

"Don't know," Sungyeol said. "I've never seen him with anyone. I guess he doesn't really date—knowing him, he probably just has one-night stands and that's that. Wait, why do you want to know? Are you interested in Woohyun?"

(Myungsoo tried to ignore the hopeful sparkle inside Sungyeol's eyes. So eager to get rid of him, wasn't he.)

So Myungsoo asked around. But as it turned out, no one seemed to know any more than Sungyeol. They all told him that Woohyun was a flirt, that he dated and slept around a lot, but when they were asked to give names, the answers suddenly turned vague. A second year girl, a guy from his football team…

Myungsoo started to suspect that Woohyun's reputation was all smoke and no fire, that people had just made their assumptions about his love life and Woohyun had let them believe what they wanted, for whatever reason. Maybe he thought that a reputation as an easy man would make him cooler, more interesting. As far as Myungsoo was concerned, Woohyun was interesting enough as he was.

"He probably spread those rumours himself," Sungjong told him when Myungsoo shared his suspicions with him. "You don't know him well yet, but Woohyun hyung is a liar, if there ever was one. He's just so fake—"

But Myungsoo didn't agree, although he could see why Sungjong, or anyone else, would think Woohyun was fake. Just by looking at how Woohyun interacted with Sunggyu, chatting and joking around with him like they were best buddies, you would have never been able to guess how Woohyun actually felt deep inside, the sense of rivalry he harbored towards Sunggyu. Yet Myungsoo thought he understood Woohyun. He wasn't trying to deceive Sunggyu; he simply felt bad about being so jealous, and didn't want Sunggyu to be hurt by it. The way Myungsoo saw it, Woohyun didn't lie slyly, to make himself look better than he was, but to keep others from being hurt, and to hide the side of himself that he considered shameful.

Myungsoo wished he could be more like him. If he weren't the kind of person who always wears his heart on his sleeve, if he had hidden his feelings more, maybe Sungyeol wouldn't have distanced himself from him. Maybe things would still be the same between them.

 

 

* * *

 

 

One day Myungsoo was browsing around at a bookstore when he found a movie that Woohyun had said he really wanted to watch. So he bought it and went all the way to Woohyun's flat, thinking that maybe they could watch it together (and hopefully, cuddle as they did).

Woohyun looked really surprised to see him. "Myungsoo? What are you doing here?" And then, after Myungsoo explained, clumsily, "Oh—thank you so much, but—unfortunately, I'm kind of busy right now—maybe another time?"

Myungsoo's disappointment must have showed, because Woohyun kept talking to him, and in the end he even asked him to come in and showed him what he was working on.

Myungsoo stared at the sound mixer. He wondered how he could have missed it the only other time he'd been to Woohyun's place, because it was just so big and cool-looking, taking up almost half of Woohyun's room and looking very much like something out of a shonen manga. Myungsoo's eyes sparkled as he looked at it.

"C-can I stay?" he asked Woohyun on an impulse. "I… I want to see how it works."

Woohyun looked taken aback. "Are you sure? It's going to be boring for you. I can't talk to you while I compose, I have to focus on the piece—"

But Myungsoo assured him that it was fine, and so Woohyun went back to work, although not before having given Myungsoo a couple of magazines and manwhas to pass the time. Myungsoo didn't need them, though; watching Woohyun was interesting enough. He looked so solemn as he bent over the mixer, pushing buttons here and there, writing on the music sheets, listening intently to his headphones. This was yet another side of Woohyun, one he had never seen before—hard-working, serious Woohyun.

"It's for this contest next month," Woohyun explained to him later as he took a break. "Everyone at the club is taking part. The winner gets a scholarship _and_ gets to promote a digital single with Loen. Amazing, right? I don't know if my song is good enough, but—I really hope I can win—"

As he gazed at Woohyun's handsome profile, the room comfortably quiet as he worked on his song, Myungsoo decided that he liked this side of Woohyun, too.

 

 

 

 

*  *  *

 

 

_"I won!"_

Sunggyu barged into Sungyeol's room as he and Myungsoo were playing a game, looking ecstatic. "The contest! They just announced the result, and I–I won!"

Myungsoo blinked. For a moment, all he could think about was how Sunggyu was going to explain away the fact that he knew the password to Sungyeol's place and _he_ didn't—the force of habit, he guessed—when it hit him, what Sunggyu had just said.

"You won it? The contest?" He jumped to his feet, making to run to Sunggyu and hug him. "Hyung, that's great! Congratulations—"

But Sungyeol had already beaten him to it, almost flying into Sunggyu's arms before stopping himself just in time.

"Uh… " he looked at Sunggyu, awkwardly. "W-well done, I guess… "

Sunggyu was grinning at him. He reached out to pull Sungyeol closer—

And kissed him.

Myungsoo stared. He felt a vague twinge—now that it was out in the open, there was no going back—but most of all, he felt relief. There would be no more hiding now, no more awkward lying and pretending he didn't know anything. They could finally start being honest with each other.

He was just about to voice his thoughts and congratulate the two lovebirds, when he remembered.

Woohyun.

"What the fuck are you doing?" Sungyeol yelled, breaking away from Sunggyu. He spun around. "Myungsoo, this is not—"

But Myungsoo was already running out of the room.

Because if Sunggyu had won the contest, that meant that Woohyun—

 

 

 

"What do you want?"

Woohyun's face was blank. Myungsoo had been relieved when Woohyun had opened the door after the first knock—he had been so worried Woohyun might not be at home, might be somewhere where Myungsoo couldn't reach him, or maybe even worse—but all sense of relief had disappeared once he had seen Woohyun's face, the emptiness in his eyes.

There it was again, rag-doll Woohyun. The side of himself that he never showed to the world, and that Myungsoo had only gotten to see once before.

"I… I heard—" Myungsoo gulped, finding it hard to speak under Woohyun's gaze. "I heard about the contest."

Woohyun just looked at him.

"I'm so sorry, hyung. I… I know how hard you worked on your song. You deserved to—"

"Deserve?" Woohyun's voice was cold, like ice. "You think this is about what I deserve or don't deserve?"

"I—"

"It's not, you know. It really isn't. Or I wouldn't be here, like this—"

Woohyun's voice died on his lips, but he didn't cry or break down. He simply stared into space, as if he'd lost all will to speak.

It scared Myungsoo.

"I… I know how you feel, hyung—"

Woohyun scoffed. "What do _you_ know? Have you ever been in my position before?"

Myungsoo made to speak, but nothing came.

"You, who're always whining about your best friend dating like it's the end of the world—you have no idea. No idea how I feel."

"I… " Myungsoo's eyes were already filling with tears. "I'm sorry. You're right, I don't know anything. I—"

A tear fell down Myungsoo's face, and he turned away.

"I–I should go—"

But Woohyun was suddenly hugging him from behind, and Myungsoo froze.

"Hyung? W-what are you—"

Woohyun was saying something—murmuring against Myungsoo's back, so low Myungsoo couldn't hear it.

"Hyung, can you speak up? I can't—"

"Sorry," Woohyun said, voice hoarse like Myungsoo had never heard it before. "I'm sorry. Please don't go."

 

 

Myungsoo sat Woohyun on the bed, then sat down next to him. It had been difficult to get Woohyun to do anything, but in the end Myungsoo had coaxed him into releasing his grip on him and following him inside. But Woohyun was still looking down at the floor, and when Myungsoo made to tilt his face up, he covered it with his hands.

"Hyung," Myungsoo said. "Please look at me. Hyung—"

But Woohyun shook his head.

Myungsoo sighed. "Is there… is there anything I can do for you?"

For all answer, Woohyun pushed him down on the bed. For a moment, Myungsoo was nervous—maybe Woohyun wanted… ? But all he did was lie down next to him and bury his face into Myungsoo chest, arms wrapped tightly around him.

They stayed like that for a long, long time. They didn't talk. Myungsoo stroked Woohyun's head, his arms, his back, again and again. Hoping it would comfort him.

In the end, when it got dark outside and Woohyun's form felt limp in his arms, Myungsoo got up. He tucked Woohyun under the covers, then slipped in next to him, pulling Woohyun to his chest again. He closed his eyes.

 

 

When he woke up, light was flooding the room, and he was alone.

"Good morning, sleepy head~"

Myungsoo had followed the scent of food and found Woohyun in the kitchenette. He was cooking something, his back to Myungsoo.

"Morning, hyung… " He yawned, sitting down at the small kitchen table. Woohyun seemed to have gone back to his usual cheerful self, which Myungsoo was grateful for—although he still felt like something was amiss. "How are you feeling… ?"

"Never been better~"

"Oh, that's—that's nice."

They were silent for a while. Myungsoo was wondering whether he should talk about it or if he should just act like nothing had happened, when—

"Do you hate me, Myungsoo?"

Myungsoo looked up, startled. "W-what?

"Do you hate me now?" Woohyun continued, voice flat. "After yesterday."

And as he looked at Woohyun's back, Myungsoo finally realised what that weird feeling was.

Woohyun's face. He still hadn't seen it.

"I… I don't hate you, hyung. Of course not—"

"What about those things I said? You were crying."

Myungsoo swallowed. "It's OK. I–I know you didn't mean them—"

"Maybe I did. Maybe what you saw yesterday is the real me."

" … I… Even so, I–I don't hate you. I could never hate you, hyung. But—"

Myungsoo took a deep breath.

"But—if that's what you really think, then… I wish you would tell me. Even if it hurts me, I want to know. What's really on hyung's mind."

Woohyun didn't saying anything. He was standing stock still.

"Woohyun hyung has many sides. I know you think some sides are better than others, but I… I like all of them. So I wish hyung wouldn't hide anything from me."

Silence enveloped them once again.

"Myungsoo."

"Y-yes?"

Woohyun turned around to face him.

"How do you want your eggs?"

 

 

Woohyun walked Myungsoo to the bus stop, later—he'd let Myungsoo take a shower first, had even lent him a clean shirt, since Myungsoo's was all sticky with Woohyun's tears. They weren't saying much, but Woohyun was holding Myungsoo's hand in his as they walked, smiling at him every time their eyes met, and Myungsoo couldn't have been happier.

"Text me when you get home," he told Myungsoo as they waited at the bus stop.

Myungsoo nodded. "Y-you too."

Woohyun laughed. "I live five minutes from here."

"Well, still—"

They fell silent again, but it was comfortable.

"Myungsoo…. "

"Mh?"

"You know… Have you ever thought… Have you ever thought about going out with me?"

Myungsoo blushed, feeling very stupid for doing so. Even after all this time, he still wasn't completely unaffected by Woohyun's flirting. He couldn't help it—whenever Woohyun said those kind of things his face automatically turned red, his heart beating too fast.

It didn't help that Woohyun was staring at him, and he just wouldn't stop. "So… What is your answer?"

"W-what?"

"I… I just asked you if you want to go out with me—"

Myungsoo stared. "You meant— _for real?!"_

"Well, yeah—wait, did you think I was joking?"

The shock on his face must have been evident, because Woohyun looked away, flustered. "I-it's OK if you don't want to, you know—"

Myungsoo just couldn't believe it. Woohyun was asking him to go out with him? _His_ Woohyun? Nam Woohyun?

"I… I… "

"You don't have to answer now!" Woohyun said quickly. "Just—just take your time and let me know when you're ready—"

"I—"

But Woohyun was already scurrying away, Myungsoo left blinking after him.

If only Woohyun had stayed a little longer, he would have given him his answer. He didn't even have to think about it, really.

 

 

On the bus, Myungsoo felt on cloud nine. He was smiling like an idiot even as he switched on his phone, but the smile slipped off his face as he saw all the missed calls and texts. His mother, Sungyeol, Sunggyu, Sungjong—

Why was he suddenly in such high demand?

He opened the latest text. It was Sungjong's.

_Emergency. Call me asap_

"Where have you been?" Sungjong asked after he'd picked up. "I called you so many times—"

"Sorry, it's–it's a long story. Anyway, what happened? You said it was an emergency—"

"It is," Sungjong said, sounding abated. "You'd better sit down, hyung. You're going to be shocked."

"Is it that bad… ?" Myungsoo asked, starting to worry.

"Yeah." Sungjong cleared his throat. "Well, you see—it seems like Sunggyu and Sungyeol… well… they were actually dating—"

"Oh, _that—"_

"—and that Sungyeol just broke up with hyung yesterday—"

 

 

 

 

*  *  *

 

Myungsoo walked to the music club feeling like he was walking to his death. He knew that Sunggyu was going to be furious at him—he probably hated him now, Myungsoo had concluded—but he still had to do it. He had to go and apologise, for being the reason why he'd lost Sungyeol.

He had no doubt that it was his fault. When he had run away just like that, Sungyeol must have thought that he had been shocked by his and Sunggyu's kiss, blamed Sunggyu for it, and broken up with him. Myungsoo could just see it happening in his head, as clear as if he had seen it with his own eyes. Sungyeol was an idiot for acting like that, sure—but that was no surprise: everyone knew that Sungyeol was an idiot, his brain working in strange, mysterious ways, Myungsoo first of all. That's why he should have said something, given those two his blessing before going and disappearing for a whole day.

But Woohyun—Woohyun had happened, and he—

"Myungsoo!" Sunggyu jumped to his feet as soon as he saw him, almost running over to him. "Thank god—are you OK? We were all so worried—your phone was off and we couldn't find you anywhere—your mum said you didn't come home at all—"

Myungsoo couldn't help it. He burst into tears.

Because Sunggyu was still worrying about him even though he should hate him, even thought it was all his fault.

"Oh, Myungsoo." Sunggyu opened his arms, and Myungsoo flew into them, burying his face into Sunggyu's neck. "This is about Sungyeol, isn't it?"

Myungsoo only cried harder.

Sunggyu sighed. "I… I'm so sorry. I never wanted to make you cry like this. I never wanted to take Sungyeol from you—"

Myungsoo blinked.

Wait, _what?_

"I… I swear I didn't mean to fall for him, but—it just happened, and now—"

"Hyung—"

"I wish I could just let him go and give him to you, but—I can't! I'm so sorry! I like him too much—"

 _"Hyung_! I don't like Sungyeol!"

"Only thinking about him being with someone else, I—" Sunggyu stopped. He blinked. "Wait—what did you say?"

"I said, I don't like Sungyeol. You have nothing to—"

"Oh, _god!"_

Sunggyu head was thrown back in relief, eyes squeezed shut. "Thank god!"

Myungsoo almost laughed, tears still in his eyes. "You must really like Sungyeol, hyung."

Sunggyu stiffened. "I—well, I guess I do like him—just a little bit—" Myungsoo just looked at him. "Yeah, OK, I like him a lot! I'm head over heels for him! God knows why—I must have terrible taste—"

"I think you have great taste," Myungsoo said, smiling. "Sungyeol is great."

Sunggyu sighed. "He is." And then he said something that Myungsoo would have never thought he would hear from his hyung—his confident, I'm-the-best-thing-ever hyung, "He… he's too good for me—"

"He isn't," Myungsoo said. "You are both great. And you're perfect for each other."

Sunggyu looked at him. "You think so?"

"Uh-huh."

"So… you don't mind? If we date, and stuff?"

"No, of course not." And as he said it, Myungsoo realised how true it was. Why had he been so against it in the first place? He couldn't even remember. "As long as you're happy—"

He was suddenly being pulled into a one-armed hug, his face pressed into Sunggyu's shoulder.

"T-thank you, Myungsoo." Sunggyu kissed the top of his head, awkwardly. "Thank you, really."

Myungsoo blushed. "N-no need to thank me. Just… get back with Sungyeol real fast, OK?"

Sunggyu lifted his shoulders, a slight smill on his lips. "If he still wants me."

He will, Myungsoo thought. He was going to make sure of it. He still needed to have his talk with Sungyeol, after all.

 

 

Only that he never seemed to find the right moment—or to find Sungyeol, for that matter. Sungyeol seemed to have volatilised: he wasn't in his seminar classes, he wasn't at his place, he wasn't at the music club or in the school's cafeteria. The few times Myungsoo was lucky enough to run into him, Sungyeol looked at him as if he'd seen a ghost and ran away as fast as he could. Myungsoo tried to run after him, but he'd never been able to keep up with Sungyeol's long legs.

"He's scared that you will confess to him," Sunggyu explained. He hadn't been able to get in contact with Sungyeol yet, either. "That once he rejects you you'll be so heart-broken you'll never want to see him again, and your friendship will be over."

As we were saying—an idiot.

And so days passed and Myungsoo still hadn't managed to talk with Sungyeol, to explain to him that it was all a big misunderstanding.

Until one day he was studying in some café in town, and when he looked up from his textbook there Sungyeol was, his back to him as he queued up at the counter.

Myungsoo jumped to his feet—but silently, smoothly making his way to where Sungyeol was standing—

And then he wrapped his arms around him, vice-like.

Sungyeol jumped, almost spilling his coffee. "What the—"

He looked even more shocked when he turned around and saw Myungsoo. "W-what are you doing? Let me go—"

"No," Myungsoo said. "We need to talk—"

"Help!" Sungyeol was suddenly yelling. "Anyone—"

Myungsoo stared at him. "Yeol, what the—"

 _"Help!_ This man is harassing me!!"

"Yeol–"

 _"Aaah!_ Oh my god, he's touching my ass! _Heelp—"_

 

 

All Sungyeol's shouting got him in the end was getting kicked out, Myungsoo along with him. After they'd been not-so-ceremoniously shown to the door, he made to run for it again, but Myungsoo grabbed his arm.

"We need to talk—"

"No we don't."

"We do!"

"I have nothing to say to you!"

"Well, I do! And you can't avoid me forever—"

"Watch me!"

But Myungsoo could be just as stubborn as Sungyeol, and in the end Sungyeol caved in, agreeing to have coffee with him (in another café, obviously) as long as Myungsoo stopped hugging him "like a fucking koala".

"Ok," Myungsoo began once they'd sat down and gotten their drinks, "Let's talk—"

"I'm not talking with you," Sungyeol scoffed.

Myungsoo glared at him. "Yeol, you _promised—"_

"All I promised was that I would have coffee with you. I never said anything about talking–"

"Oh, god—you're impossible—"

"Not my fault you can't even blackmail someone properly. If you try to say something I will just cover my ears and scre—wait, what are you doing?"

Myungsoo was rummaging through his bag. He took out a notebook and a pen, and started writing.

"What are you—"

He turned the notebook towards Sungyeol.

_I'm not going to confess to you._

Sungyeol scoffed. "You say that now, but—"

Myungsoo was scribbling again.

_I DON'T like you!!!_

"Ah! I knew you'd say tha—wait what?" Sungyeol snatched the notebook from him and looked at it with wide eyes. He stared at Myungsoo. "R-really? You don't?"

Myungsoo shook his head.

"But—I thought—"

Myungsoo took the notebook from him and made to write something again, but Sungyeol swatted at his hand.

"Yah, don't waste time writing! Just tell me—"

"You want me to tell you?" Myungsoo snapped. "Fine, I'll tell you! I don't like you, I never have. I do love you as my best friend, but that's it. Now you can stop being an ass and acting like I have the plague or something—"

"Ease up, will you! Why are you so mad anyway?"

 _"Why?_ Of course I'm mad! You—you suddenly started pushing me out of your life just because you got yourself a new boyfriend, and then you don't even tell me you're dating him, and then, when I find out, you start avoiding me like this! How could I not be mad—"

"I didn't!" Sungyeol yelled. "I mean, I… I did, but I didn't mean to! I just… I thought you liked me, so—"

"Well, I don't," Myungsoo said, "although it still hurts that you seem to find the idea so disgusting, like I'm some sort of monster or—"

"I'm not disgusted," Sungyeol said. "I was just scared—that if I rejected you, everything would change. That I… That I would lose you." Sungyeol looked away, flustered. "I… I never wanted that. You're my best friend. So I started pushing you away, thinking that if I let you get closer you'd only fall deeper and get hurt more. It's got nothing to do with Sunggyu, really—"

"But you never did that before," Myungsoo said. "Before Sunggyu."

"I wasn't serious back then. Those—they were just flings. I didn't mind even if you liked me because I didn't really like anyone myself, I guess. but then Sunggyu happened, and I—"

Myungsoo sighed. "You know that none of this would have happened if you'd just talked to me, right? And you say I'm your best friend."

"I know," Sungyeol said, head low. "I've been an idiot."

"I… I know that things can't be the same now that you have Sunggyu," Myungsoo said, "But I just—I just want to know that I still matter to you. That you haven't forgotten about me simply because you have a steady boyfriend now."

"Of course," Sungyeol said. "You know, I never thought you mattered less than Sunggyu. You don't. You… you are both important to me. It's just different, you know?"

"Yeah." Myungsoo thought of Woohyun. "I do."

"So… am I forgiven? Best friends forever, and all that cheese?"

Myungsoo looked at him. Did Sungyeol even need to ask for forgiveness? Myungsoo had never reproached him anything, not really. He'd just wanted to know, to be sure that he still had a place in his life, despite Sunggyu. As long as that was the case, he would be fine.

"Yeah. Yeah, sure."

 

 

Myungsoo walked through campus, smiling at the familiar view. It was the same as always, of course, yet it felt different, brighter, somehow. Or maybe it was Myungsoo that was different. Ever since he'd said goodbye to Sungyeol, earlier— _see you soon,_ Sungyeol had warned him after squeezing him into a rare yeol-hug, _and by soon I mean today or tomorrow at the latest—_ he felt lighter, like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders, and he could finally breathe again.

He thought he understood what he had been so scared of. He had realised it as he talked with Sungyeol, earlier. Sungyeol had looked so different, still his best friend but also a completely new person, too. Part of it had probably been Sunggyu, but not only. People changed all the time; it was inevitable. Myungsoo himself had probably changed, too, although he didn't feel very different himself.

But maybe that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. He thought of Woohyun, a big change in Myungsoo's life if there ever had been one, and smiled.

Change could be good, too.

He really had been worrying about nothing all along.

 

 

Myungsoo thought he would take advantage of his unusually good mood to do some more studying. He headed to the library, pushing the heavy front door open as he stepped in—and walked right into someone.

Woohyun.

Myungsoo smiled, but Woohyun didn't. He looked tired—almost sad, Myungsoo thought, and suddenly he remembered.

Shit.

Woohyun's confession.

He had completely, thoroughly forgotten, the answer so obvious he hadn't really thought he needed to give one.

How long had it been since the last time he'd talked to Woohyun? He must think Myungsoo was going to reject him, no worse, that he had rejected him already—

"Hey."

Myungsoo looked up to see that Woohyun had schooled his face into his usual mask, a flirty grin.

"Hello there, stranger—"

But then Myungsoo's lips were on his.

Myungsoo wasn't really sure he was doing it right—he'd never kissed anyone before—but he guessed that if he pressed his lips to Woohyun's long enough it should count as a kiss, right?

And apparently it did, because the next thing he knew Woohyun was moving his lips against his, too, and then suddenly he'd opened his mouth and his tongue was tracing his lower lip—

And maybe Myungsoo didn't really need to say anything at all.


End file.
